AnimeSuki (from Japanese ''anime'' and is a

website A website (also written as a web site) is a collection of web pages and related content that is identified by a common domain name and published on at least one web server. Examples of notable websites are Google Search, Google, Facebook, Amaz ...

and once considered "... the largest database of BitTorrent anime shows" that focused on providing unlicensed

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

fansub A fansub (short for fan-subtitled) is a version of a foreign film or foreign television program, typically anime or dorama which has been translated by fans (as opposed to an officially licensed translation done by paid professionals) and subtit ...

s using the BitTorrent

peer-to-peer Peer-to-peer (P2P) computing or networking is a distributed application architecture that partitions tasks or workloads between peers. Peers are equally privileged, equipotent participants in the network. They are said to form a peer-to-peer n ...

system. The website was created by GHDpro on December 26, 2002. Animesuki was not a tracker; instead, it provided links to many trackers across the web. It did not list

pornography Pornography (often shortened to porn or porno) is the portrayal of sexual subject matter for the exclusive purpose of sexual arousal. Primarily intended for adults,

or series that had been licensed in North America. However, in 2013 it stopped maintaining its database of torrents, and the forums remain as the only active part of the site.

Legal status

The site only linked to anime that had not been licensed by any American companies. Once a title was licensed, the corresponding fansub links were removed from the site and the series was listed on its licensed list. Nonetheless, although none of the files were hosted on the site itself, AnimeSuki could be held accountable for violating copyright law, as linking to sites that themselves infringe on the law has been considered a form of contributory infringement in the United States (

Intellectual Reserve v. Utah Lighthouse Ministry ''Intellectual Reserve, Inc. v. Utah Lighthouse Ministry, Inc.'', 75 F. Supp. 2d 1290 (D. Utah 1999), was a United States district court decision on the subject of deep linking and contributory infringement of copyright. Background The plainti ...

). Though fansubs are technically copyright violations, AnimeSuki's legal page alleges that the

WTO The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an intergovernmental organization that regulates and facilitates international trade. With effective cooperation in the United Nations System, governments use the organization to establish, revise, and e ...

TRIPS Agreement The Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) is an international legal agreement between all the member nations of the World Trade Organization (WTO). It establishes minimum standards for the regulation by nat ...

specifies that the distribution of copyrighted material is only necessarily illegal when done on a commercial scale, thus making it difficult for anyone besides the copyright holder to prosecute fansubbers. To date, only one Japanese company,

Media Factory , formerly is a Japanese publisher and brand company of Kadokawa Future Publishing. History It was founded on December 1, 1986, and its headquarters are situated in Shibuya, Tokyo. It is a subsidiary of Recruit Co., Ltd. Media Factory was possi ...

, has requested its content removed from the site. However, Funimation and Kadokawa Pictures USA have also sent them separate cease and desist letters concerning several titles, which were promptly removed. In Singapore,

Odex Odex Pte. Ltd. is a Singapore-based company that licenses and releases anime for local and regional Southeast Asian consumption. Odex was established in 1987 and set up its Anime Distribution department in 2000, selling anime in Singapore. ...

has targeted AnimeSuki's users with legal action. AnimeSuki was also known for erring on the side of caution regarding licenses. Even though some series such as ''

Hanaukyo Maids is a Japanese manga series created by Morishige. ''Hanaukyo Maid Team'' is about a young boy, Taro Hanaukyo, who has inherited a vast family fortune and, more importantly, the hundreds of employees working at the family mansion. While dres ...

'' were not initially licensed, AnimeSuki kept them from being listed because of the likelihood that Geneon would secure the rights to it.

Present

Over time, AnimeSuki experienced a decline in new fansub entries, due to various changes in online anime distribution, such as preference to download episodes directly from translators' websites, competition with other database websites, frequent updates, and disbandment of translation groups. Fan translations have further declined, as more anime became licensed and professionally translated for official release worldwide. And since the growing popularity of video streaming websites such as

Crunchyroll Crunchyroll is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Sony through a joint venture between Sony Pictures and Sony Music Entertainment Japan's Aniplex. The service primarily distributes films and tel ...

HIDIVE Sentai Filmworks, LLC or just Sentai, is an American entertainment company owned by AMC Networks. Located in Houston, the company specializes in the dubbing and distribution of Japanese animation and Asian cinema. Its post-production arm is Sen ...

Amazon Prime Video Amazon Prime Video, also known simply as Prime Video, is an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, streaming and Renting, rental service of Amazon (c ...

and

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...

, which provide licensed anime and can stream to

smartphones A smartphone is a portable computer device that combines mobile telephone and computing functions into one unit. They are distinguished from feature phones by their stronger hardware capabilities and extensive mobile operating systems, which ...

, AnimeSuki has ceased all updates and activity. As of February 15, 2019, the main website is closed. However, as of 2023, the discussion boards remain active.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Animesuki Internet properties established in 2002 Anime and manga websites BitTorrent websites

Legal status

Present

See also

References

External links